Project Number: 6208-21000-018-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Oct 01, 2010
End Date: Dec 13, 2013

Objective:
(1) Identify and functionally characterize genes central to the adaptation of plant to water-deficit and thermal stresses. (2) Discover and/or develop germplasm enhanced for stress resistance traits. (3) Identify and characterize water-deficit and thermal stress-responding promoters for using the controlled expression of stress resistance genes and for testing of a user-friendly plant stress reporter system for crop management.

Approach:
A multidisciplinary research approach will be utilized because of the complexity of the problems to be addressed. Genes will be identified via expression databases and mutational analyses. Physiological and molecular characterizations will be used to identify germplasm with enhanced stress tolerances. Transformational technologies will be used in the development of plant with enhanced stress tolerances and plant with stress responsive reporter genes.